The WAY I Like it! By Renee Burt

Isaiah 55:8-9 NLT ~ “My thoughts are nothing like your thoughts,” says the Lord. “And my ways are far beyond anything you could imagine. For just as the heavens are higher than the earth, so my ways are higher than your ways and my thoughts higher than your thoughts.

It’s funny the things you remember from your childhood. I was raised in a single parent home, so money was pretty tight most times. Now, although there was a whole lot of love in our home, mom didn’t have the finances to spend on things like the latest games…which at that time was Mouse Trap! I loved that game. So I prayed and asked God to somehow get me that game. Well, a month went by, then two, then three… And then my best friend got the game for her birthday. I couldn’t believe she had got the game, when I knew she hadn’t even asked God for it! And I never considered that God HAD answered my prayer, but He had…because I don’t think a day went by when this friend didn’t invite me over to play that game with her…but it hadn’t cost my mom anything. I’ve let that remind me over the years that I have to be careful to not decide how I think God should answer my prayer. It might not be “my way”…but I’m so glad because as today’s verses say, His ways are “far beyond anything you could imagine.” And that’s the WAY I like it!

Isaiah 55:8-9 NLT ~ “My thoughts are nothing like your thoughts,” says the Lord. “And my ways are far beyond anything you could imagine. For just as the heavens are higher than the earth, so my ways are higher than your ways and my thoughts higher than your thoughts.

More devotions from Renee Renee’s Fresh Manna

Published by Pastor Tim Burt
Copyright© 2008 Tim Burt, All rights reserved.
http://readfreshmanna.blogspot.com/

Replace Kid’s Fears with Faith

Matthew 18:6 “But whoever shall offend one of these little ones who believe in me, it were better for him that a millstone were hanged about his neck, and that he were drowned in the depth of the sea.”

Can I ask you a question? Do you have any idea just how much God loves children? Jesus wasn’t casual in His conversations when it came to children. He loves them exceedingly and was not quiet about it. In Matthew chapter 18 Jesus is illustrating in story about one lost sheep. Ninety-nine were accounted for but the good shepherd went to look for the lost one and would rejoice more over the finding the lost one than of the other ninety-nine. Then He finishes the story by saying. “Even so it is not the will of your Father who is in heaven, that one of these little ones should perish.” (Matthew 18:14)

Look at those words – “… it is not the will of your Father.. that one of these little ones should perish.” Although this story is illustrating sheep, if you read the rest of the verses in this chapter, you would understand Jesus is talking about children. They are precious to Him. Why? Because when they are young and innocent, they are ready and hungry to learn of and have faith in His love and ways.

Jesus makes some other strong admonishments. In Matthew 18:10 He says,” See that you do not look down on one of these little ones. For I tell you that their angels in Heaven always see the face of my Father in heaven.” I don’t know if you realize this but there is always a witness – assigned to each child that is standing before the Father regarding how they are being nurtured in the Lord. Those witnesses are angels and they always have God’s attention concerning children.

Jesus also said, “But if anyone causes one of these little ones who trusts in me to lose faith, it would be better for that person to be thrown into the sea with a large millstone tied around the neck. “How terrible it will be for anyone who causes others to sin. Temptation to do wrong is inevitable, but how terrible it will be for the person who does the tempting.” (Matthew 18:6-7)

Renee and I taught children’s ministry many years ago for over eight years. We learned and discovered so many wonderful things about children through the experience. It truly helped us become better parents and ministers of the Word of God. The age group we ministered to was four and five year olds.

One thing we learned from them was that children continuously deal with fear – real fear. Its one reason children struggle to go to bed at night and often the reason they keep getting up. They are afraid! When we ministered to the children – often sixty of them at a time, we’d ask them to come to the front of the room if they desired prayer. The thing children most often asked prayer for was for fear at night and sometimes we had close to sixty of them asking! They’d want prayer so that they wouldn’t be afraid of the monster in the closet or under the bed, or the bad man outside the window, etc. Of all the requests for prayer they would respond to, being afraid a night was number one.

What caused these fears? The movies, television shows, and the unscreened books from the library that parents let their children read that put fearful images in their minds. Many adults are afraid of the dark and spooky things yet have trouble admitting it. How much more children? Yet adults ignorantly expose the imagination of children to fearful things. Fear movies and television shows are currently a trend.

Beyond praying for the children, we taught them a precious promise from the Word of God that greatly helped them be strengthened in spirit and taught them to learn how to resist the devil themselves. The verse was 2 Tim 1:7 “For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.” Part of our nurturing of children is not to put fear in them but to help them from an early age, take authority over fears. 2 Cor. 10:3-5 instructs us, “For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war after the flesh: For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds; casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ.”

This verse is telling us that we don’t fight spiritual battles with human weapons – guns, swords, etc. We fight evil and demonic imaginations – any imagination that is outside of God’s word and will for us – with His power. We cast down evil imaginations in the name of Jesus. We make every thought that comes into our mind conform to God’s Word. If it is evil we cast it out. If it is good, we think on it. The weapons of our warfare are the promises of God to train and take authority as to how we think and take thoughts captive that oppose God.

This is what God wants us to nurture our children in. We will have the help of His Holy Spirit and the angelic host of Heaven.

What are your children exposed to – things that promote faith in God and an overcoming attitude, or things that are scary, horrifying, and fearful that produce torment. Trade devils for angels. Trade fear with the faith of David over Goliath. Trade the fictitious characters of evil for thoughts of the true heroes of faith!

God loves children and has placed them in our care. Our love and instruction to them will turn around to strengthen and nurture us. That is God’s plan.

Today’s Fresh Manna verse is strong and intimidating. It should be. Parents that love their children have that protective spirit over their children. Raise them in the power and love of God’s Word.

In His Love,
Pastor Tim Burt
http://readfreshmanna.blogspot.com/

Published by Pastor Tim Burt
Copyright© 2008 Tim Burt, All rights reserved.

Much Needed Good News!

Matthew 9:37-38 “Jesus said to his disciples, “The harvest is so great, but the workers are so few. So pray to the Lord who is in charge of the harvest; ask him to send out more workers for his fields.”

I was out on my morning run this morning when I heard this thought, “People really need good news in this dark world.” I could suddenly see this brochure. It said boldly on it, “The Ten Best Nuggets of GOOD NEWS You Could Ever Read in These Hard Times.”

Then I began to see the list.

1. Jesus still feels the same about you today as He always has! He loves you! The Bible says, “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever.”

2. Jesus only wants good for you! The Bible says, “For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.”

4. Jesus’ love reaching out to you does not change! The Bible says, “I am the Lord, I change not.”

5. Jesus has a gift for you and like all gifts it was paid for at His expense. It’s free to you. You only have to open it and receive it. It’s the assurance of the gift of Heaven. The Bible says, “For God so loved the world that He gave His only Son, so that everyone who believes in Him will not perish but have eternal life.”

5. God has no desire or interest in condemning anyone for their sins including you! The Bible says, “God did not send His Son Jesus into the world to condemn it, but to save it.”

6. God wants to put your sins out of His and your mind forever! The Bible says, “…I will forgive their wickedness and will never again remember their sins.”

7. The God of the universe wants to become your intimate friend who speaks to you and helps you navigate through this troubled world. The Bible says, “Look! Here I Jesus stand at the door and knock. If you hear me calling and open the door, I will come in, and we will share a meal as friends.”

8. God wants to bless you and make your life rich in blessing. The Bible says, “…From this day onward, I will bless you.”

9. God wants you to be assured that though the world is filled with hurt and pain, that is not His will and if you give yourself over to Him, He desires to protect you in the midst of it. The Bible says, “Though a thousand fall at your side, though ten thousand are dying around you, these evils will not touch you.”

10. God does not want your world filled with hurt and pain. He wants to save you from it. It starts by believing in His Son Jesus Christ and asking Him to forgive your sins and be your Savior. The Bible says, “For “Anyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.” “Saved” means receiving eternal life, delivered from troubles and sin, healed, protected, and made whole – nothing broken, nothing missing.

The brochure I was imagining closed with these words. My friend, “You are known by God whether you know Him or not. He thinks good of you whether you think good of Him or not. He wants good for your life whether you want good for your own life or not. God loves you whether you love yourself or not. Nothing you have done or can do will disqualify you for God’s love so don’t disqualify yourself – open your heart to Him. This is the best news you will ever receive in this earth. God bless you!

After this short scene in my heart happened, all I could do was think about how many people need this good news. When I came home, I sat down and prayed today’s Fresh Manna verse – what Jesus taught His disciples to pray. “He said to His disciples, “The harvest is so great, but the workers are so few. So pray to the Lord who is in charge of the harvest; ask him to send out more workers for his fields.” I pray we will share His love, our Manna, and His Good News! Bless you today!

(1) Heb 13:8, (2) Jer 29:11, (3) Mal 3:6, (4) John 3:16, (5) John 3:17, (6) Jeremiah 31:34, (7) Rev. 3:20, (8) Haggai 2:19, (9) Psalm 91:7, (10) Romans 10:13

Published by Pastor Tim Burt
Copyright© 2008 Tim Burt, All rights reserved.